Meet the Judges Overseeing Lawsuits Against Coinbase and Binance
SEC lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance assigned to Judges Rearden and Jackson.
Court documents reveal that District Court Judges Jennifer H. Rearden and Amy Berman Jackson will preside over the SEC lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance respectively.
SEC's case against Coinbase will be heard by Judge Jennifer H. Rearden in the Southern District of New York. Rearden, 53, became a U.S. District Judge in 2022. Though new to the position, she has already ruled on a crypto-related case between Binance US and Voyager Digital, a bankrupt crypto lender. She halted a billion-dollar deal between the two, applying the "balance of hardship" test, in favor of the U.S. government. Before her judgeship, Rearden was a commercial litigator with a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School.
In the District of Columbia, Judge Amy Berman Jackson will oversee SEC's case against Binance. Jackson, 68, was appointed as a U.S. District Judge by former U.S. President Obama in 2011. Although she has overseen 888 cases, none has been crypto-related. Her prominent rulings include the sentencing of Paul Manafort Jr and Roger J. Stone Jr in 2019, during the Russia investigation. Jackson blocked a deposition of ex-President Trump in May, in two separate FBI lawsuits. She served as an Assistant to the U.S. Attorney in D.C. from 1980-1986.
The SEC sued both Binance and Coinbase on June 5 and 6 respectively, alleging the exchanges broke various securities rules. Specifically, they are accused of offering unregistered securities. Furthermore, Binance was accused of operating illegally in the U.S. Both Coinbase and Binance have pledged to stoutly contest the lawsuits.
